Kolbe’s Greatest Books Volume 87

According to Hans Urs von Balthasar, Soloviev provides “beyond question, the most profound vindication and the most comprehensive philosophical statement of the Christian totality in modern times”. Soloviev understood that the  “The distinctively religious character of the Russian people as well as the mystical tendency exhibited in our philosophy, our literature and our arts seem to indicate for Russia a great religious mission” in the modern world.” Arguing from an integral theological, philosophical and mystical perspective, Soloviev understood that:

“…if the faith communicated by the Church to Christian humanity is a living faith, and if the grace of the sacraments is an effectual grace, the resultant union of the divine and the human cannot be limited to the special domain of religion, but must extend to all Man’s common relationships and must regenerate and transform his social and political life.”

Kolbe’s Greatest Books Volume 83

William Prescott (May 4, 1796 – January 28, 1859) was an eminent  American political historian and a leading intellectual of the 19th century. He is among the most widely read American historians noted for his careful objective research and excellent scholarship. He specialized in the history of the Spanish Empire writing on such topics as the “Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic” (1837), the “Reign of Phillip II”, and  “The History of the Conquest of Mexico” (1843),  which is widely recognized as a classic in the field. The Conquest of Mexico is considered to be Prescott’s most significant literary achievement and is also his most enduring work.